THE WORLD FOOD PRIZE - A COLOSAL SHAM

On October 16, the United Nations celebrated World Food Day. On October 17 the World Food "Prize" was awarded to executives of Monsanto and Syngenta for their "Breakthrough" achievements in developing genetically modified crops (GMOs).

Monsanto has given us the weed killer Roundup which has been linked to cancer, Autism, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's. Glyphosate has become the most disruptive chemical in our environment. Syngenta manufactures pesticides that have been blamed for the massive bee die-off.

World Food Prize President Quinn summed it up by saying, "Our Committee chose the 2013 laureates because the evidence has grown to show that biotechnology has indeed met our Prize's criteria for significant (negative) impact".

This award is simply a sham and a PR stunt to bolster the tarnished reputation of the biotech industry and attempt to convince Europe to accept GE foods. It is no surprise that the winners were selected from the ranks of the World Food Prize Foundation's own biotech sponsors. Monsanto has pledged 5 million to the foundation.

Global food expert Vandana Shiva of India said "Not only are GMOs unsafe, they are destroying biodiversity, increasing farmers' dependency on seed and chemicals and leading to super pests and super weeds. This is a recipe for food insecurity and non sustainability."

The starving countries for whom GMOs were developed to feed, don't want them. President Mwanawasa of Zambia, banned GMO foods despite the food crisis threatening 2.4 million people. He stated "Simply because my people are hungry, that is no justification to give them poison, to give them food that is intrinsically dangerous to their health." Zimbabwe has also banned GMO food to prevent contamination of local agriculture. Hungary has destroyed entire shipments of seed and burned crops where GMOs have been found. Most of Europe has banned GMOs.

Brazil marked World Food Day by introducing legislation to legalize Terminator seeds (suicide seeds), thus violating a UN moratorium on them. These GMO seeds are designed to become sterile after the crop has been produced, so that the seeds can not be saved and planted.